Appearances
by ilovenascar
Summary: When a certain redhead reappears, the team learns appearances are not always as they seem. Jibbs, Tony/Shelby. Thanks to Allyson for all her help.
1. Chapter 1

Fic Title: Appearances

Author: I Love NASCAR

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: Jibbs, Tony/Shelby

Feedback: please

Disclaimer: The only profit I receive from this story is the feedback you provide. All creative rights to the characters belong to DB, not me. (Except Shelby & Bella which I'll take full credit for. ;) )

Summary: When a certain redhead reappears, the team learns appearances are not always as they seem.

* * *

Jethro Gibbs entered his house, smiling as he smelled the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee, a welcoming scent on any night, but especially one as dark and rainy as this. He'd spotted her car outside and, although he hadn't known she was coming over, he wasn't exactly surprised either. He followed the smell of the freshly baked rolls, the promise of the home cooked meal, his first in a week, and was smiled again as he saw the redhead in his kitchen.

"Jethro." She turned around slowly, her eyes connecting with his, smiling as well. "Hope you didn't mind me letting myself in, but…"

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't, Sabrina. Key's been the same place for all these years. You know where to find it." He took the coffee she poured him, taking a sip gratefully.

Sabrina Collins studied him. "You look tired. Pot roast will take a few minutes if you want to work on the boat first."

He shook his head. "I'll stay up here." The 'mystery redhead', as his team called her, had long since been a fixture in his life, one that had helped him survive some of the worst moments of his life. He loved talking to her, loved spending time with her, and had often during the past week. He took another sip of his coffee. "You still have the best coffee in town."

"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment." She grinned. "How's Shelby?"

He nodded. "She's good. Busy. She works in the same building and I hardly ever see her unless she's picking DiNozzo up, but she's got the weekend off…threatened to have a barbecue, if it's nice enough." He paused. "I'm sure she'd like it if you came."

"We'll see," she said softly, changing the subject. "DiNozzo…That's the one that chases all the girls, the one that took over for you when you retired."

He nodded. "Good kid. Changed a lot lately…I don't know if it's dating Shelby, his little girl getting older, or both. He's grown up a lot. Jen's proud of him…so am I."

She smiled, moving to get the roast out of the oven where she'd been warming it up. "Jenny. How is she?"

He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "Jenny's Jenny. I haven't seen a lot of her lately either, between cases, meetings…" He trailed off.

"The anniversary?" He nodded. "Jethro…"

"I never told her, when we were dating, about Shannon and Kelly." He paused. "I don't see how she could be okay with it."

Sabrina bit her lower lip, knowing what he meant. "From what you told me, she's had secrets of her own. If she loves you, she'll understand."

He sighed, setting the table. "She doesn't talk about it."

"And you never wanted to talk about it." Not that she blamed him.

"I talk to you, to Shelby, to Maddie…" He paused. "Did I tell you I met one of Kelly's friends from when she was a little girl a couple months back?" Sabrina shook her head and, as they sat down to eat, he told her the story, not noticing that someone was watching their every move.


	2. Chapter 2

Seeing Gibbs leave early, act mysterious, put the seed of doubt in Jenny's mind. The missed messages from a woman, visits from the mysterious redhead, gave the seed the nutrients it needed. By the time she heard the secretaries whispering and some of the agents out and out gossiping about it, she was convinced. Gibbs was cheating. It was one thing when he was dating Hollis, rubbing her nose in the fact that he didn't need her, didn't want her anymore, since technically they hadn't dated in years at the time, technically it hadn't been cheating, technically either one of them could have dated whoever they wanted, but that was back then. Since Christmas, since they'd started dating again, it was definitely cheating. The problem then was not defining what he was doing, but figuring out what to do about it. She knew, in the back of her mind, that if she walked out again, there would be no third chance. If she walked out again, it would be the sort of painful goodbye that the last time hadn't. Last time, not only had she left him, but the country. She wasn't forced to see him every day and not be able to have him. Her decision back then hadn't been easy, but easier than watching him date right in front of her face, have to deal with the reminder day in, day out. There was always the option of sucking in her pride, of staying with him, but could she ever trust him again? Could she live with herself, with being a fool? There was no easy solution, no quick fix, and no one provide the answer.

Tony walked up the stairs slowly, his very stance signaling defeat. He'd gone over to prove himself and Jenny wrong. Of course Gibbs wasn't cheating. It was Gibbs. He bent the rules from time to time, but never that seriously, never hurt Jenny that badly. The whole team knew how he felt about cheating, he was just as vocal about that as he was about marriage, but yet when he'd been faced with the truth, there were no other alternatives.

He knocked on the door, walking in, seeing Jenny looking at framed picture that had made its appearance on her desk a few months back, one of her and Gibbs when they were still partners, on a boat somewhere. She took great care with the picture; it was obviously a very important memory to her. He started to turn around, come back later, but she put the picture back down and looked at him, her green eyes red with tears.

"Jenny?" His voice was gentle, almost affectionate with her, seeing her not as his boss, but a friend, family through Shelby.

"Hi, Tony." She didn't smile, but did give him her full attention. He looked at her, unable to tell her, unable to say the words, explain what he'd seen. Even he himself didn't understand it. "Is everything okay?"

"No." He shook his head. "I saw…I saw him." He paused. "I saw him…and the girl." He paused. "I'm sorry, Jenny. I…"

She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach, like she couldn't breathe, the worst pain she'd ever known. "Just tell me," she finally managed to say.

Tony told her everything he'd seen, the intimate dinner, the quiet conversation, the touches, until he thought Jenny would faint, be sick, or both. "Jenny?" She shook her head, sitting there in shock, not knowing what to say, not knowing what to do, her heart ripped out of her chest.

Shelby Gibbs walked into the office, not expecting, but not surprised, to see her two best friends there together. What she was shocked to see was how pale Jenny was, how she looked like she couldn't breathe. "Jen?" She rushed over, kneeling by her friend. "Honey, what happened?"

"Jethro…" was all Jenny could say.

Shelby felt a tightening in her own chest, looking at Tony, her worst fear, losing her family, surfacing again. "Tony?"

He looked away, not wanting to tell her, not wanting the fight that would inevitably come, but knowing he couldn't put it off forever, he looked back at her, staring into the blue eyes he loved so much. "I caught him cheating."

"What the hell?" She looked at him like he was crazy; she honestly thought he was. "What do you mean 'you caught him cheating'?"

"I was worried about him…because he was off this week…even for him…so I went by and I saw…" He recanted the story again.

"So basically, you spied on my brother, saw something that could have been completely innocent, couldn't give him the benefit of the doubt, came up here and upset Jen?" She rolled her eyes, got up, and slapped the back of his head. "Go downstairs. Go downstairs and wait for me."

"Shel…" He started, but knew that look in her eyes, the one he always obeyed, and did so this time as well, giving a final look at Jenny before letting the door close behind him.

Shelby turned around slowly, seeing Jenny, unable to yell at her friend. "C'mon. Let's sit. I'll pour us some coffee." She walked to the coffee pot, pouring a mug for herself, refreshing Jenny's, and sat beside her friend on the couch. "Jethro would never cheat on you."

Jenny wanted to believe that with all her heart. "How do you know?"

"Because I know my brother. I believe, with all my heart, that he would never hurt someone he loved…and he loves you, Jen. He always has. You should hear the way he talks about you…" She held her friend's hand. "Please believe me. You're the only woman in his life."

"He was just separated from Diane when we first got together. He married Stephanie two months after I left him. And the whole time he was still in love with Shannon, who he didn't even tell me about. Yeah. I'm the only woman in his life."

Shelby took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She knew that she wasn't the one Jenny needed to hear the words from. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay? Think about it. Sleep on it. Then, in the morning, if you still think he could hurt you like that, I'll support you in whatever you want to do."

Jenny squeezed her hand gently. "You're a good friend."

"You're a good sister." Shelby smiled, letting go. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go kill DiNozzo."

Shelby watched Tony ride up and down in the elevator a few times before getting in with him, pressing the button between floors to stop. He saw the look in her eyes and tried to deflect some of it. "You look so sexy when you're pissed off," he said with a patented smile.

"Shove it."

"Baby, I can explain…"

"Explain? Go ahead. This I'd love to hear." She crossed her arms, obviously angry.

"How come Gibbs is the one…" He grew quiet quickly, thinking better of finishing the sentence. "Jenny was upset about the rumors, so I wanted to convince her she was wrong."

"What's wrong with saying 'Jenny, he loves you, he would never cheat on you' and leaving it at that?"

"I didn't think…"

"Damned right you didn't think!" She studied him. "You know him. Sometimes I swear you act exactly like him. How do you think he could cheat on her? How do you think he could hurt the person he loves most?" Her anger settled and she looked at him with new eyes.

"What?" He asked, not able to read what she was thinking, but knowing it wasn't good. "What is it?"

She pushed the elevator button, feeling ill. "I have to go. I have to go now."

"Shelby…" She moved away from his touch. "Shelby, baby, what's wrong?" He held her, firmly so she couldn't get away, but not tight enough to leave bruises. "Baby, talk to me. Please. Whatever I did, whatever I said, I'm sorry…"

She looked down at the floor, anywhere but at him, no longer trying to get away, the elevator still moving. "If you're so much like Jethro, and if Jethro's cheating, then why I should I trust that you're not?" As the doors opened, she moved away from him, getting off the elevator and walking away. He stood there, totally in shock, her words moving through his head, scared of losing her, scared of hurting her, and scared that she was right.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs was alone, working on his boat, when Shelby arrived. He took one look at his sister and knew something was wrong. "Hey."

"Hey." She grabbed a piece of sandpaper, beginning to help him. "You need to talk to Jen."

He stepped back, studying her. "Why's that?"

She kept working, the steady movements soothing her. "She doesn't understand this week and she won't until you tell her."

"Shelby." He touched her shoulder and she turned around. "There's something else, isn't there?"

She nodded. "There's been rumors at work that you're seeing someone else."

He almost spit out the bourbon he'd taken a sip of. "That I'm cheating on Jenny?"

"She believes it. Someone told her they saw you with a woman…"

"She wouldn't…" He stopped himself, knowing she just might, especially after the way he'd behaved that week. "Damn it, Jen," he whispered under his breath. He studied her again. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Tony and I had a fight."

He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was hard enough to see Tony with his baby sister; listening to their love problems was something else entirely. He sensed, however, that he needed to make an exception to the rule. "What was it about?"

"Tony's a lot like you, right?"

He smiled. "So they tell me." He paused. "Why?"

"If he thinks that you're cheating, does that mean he is?"

He sat down on the work bench with her, his arm around her shoulders. "If I thought, for one second, that DiNozzo would cheat on you, I'd kill him." He paused. "You're my baby sister. I've never let anyone hurt you and I never will. I trust Tony. As much as it pains me to admit this, he loves you. You're the only woman in his life. And what's more is that you know that. You're just upset." He kissed her temple.

* * *

"Senor Gibbs," Noemi, Jenny's housekeeper, responded upon opening the doors.

"Is the senora here?" He asked, knowing full well she was.

Noemi paused, knowing her instructions, but nodded, disobeying direct instructions not to let him in. He smiled at her. "Gracias."

"De nada." She walked away and let Gibbs wander to Jenny's study alone, watching her for a moment.

Her head was down, as if she were hard at work, but there was no way she could concentrate, no way she could relax. Her mind kept thinking back over everything that had happened that week, still trying to decide what to do. She'd walked away from him once, but it hadn't been in her best interest, even if she had ended up director because of it.

"Jen." He finally called for her, seeing her as she looked up.

"I told Noemi not to let you in."

He nodded. "I kinda figured that. But she likes me."

"She does, Matt does, thank God for Cynthia." He smiled, the stories of him going up against Jenny's secretary legendary.

"I want to apologize." She started to say something but he continued. "It's not a sign of weakness. Not with us. I need…I need to do it more often." He paused. "This week's been hard on me…because it's the week Shannon and Kelly died."

Her face fell. "Jethro…I'm so sorry."

He shook his head. "I should have told you. I just…I know what people have been saying…that I'm cheating on you, but I would never do that. I could never do that." He paused. "I love you, Jen. I should have said it before. I should have said it nine years ago. I should have listened to you back then. I just…I don't know what to say."

She got up, walking towards him. "Say it again."

He smiled. "I love you, Jenny. I always will."

* * *

Tony had already put Bella to bed and was pacing back and forth, terrified. He never should have let Shelby leave, not in the frame of mind she was. He was terrified that something had happened to her. When the doorknob turned and the door opened, when she walked into the kitchen, dripping wet from the rain, he was too glad to see her to be angry.

"Thank God." He ran to her, holding her. "Thank God you're safe."

"I'm sorry," Shelby whispered, her head against his chest.

"No, baby, I am." He paused. "I wish that I could say that I won't ever hurt you. I know that I'll never stop loving you. I'll never want anyone else here with me. I…"

"Everyone in my family has a history of multiple marriages, multiple relationships." Shelby began. "Nothing ever lasts." She paused. "But I love you, I trust you, and I want this to work. I want us to work. Because nothing else matters." He didn't know what to say, how to respond, other than holding her.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony was feeling frustrated almost to the point that he felt like beating his head against the wall. He knew his daughter was stubborn, no big surprise there, after all, she had not only his tenacity but Kate's as well. Today, though, she seemed convinced to drive him crazy. He'd gotten her to put on her green one-piece bathing suit with the picture of the little mermaid on the front, what she called her 'fishie suit', but he couldn't convince her to put a t-shirt or shorts on over it. Instead of getting dressed, she seemed more interested in looking for her water toys and trying to get the mercifully locked patio door to open so she could go outside to the pool. Failing that, she had filled her squirt gun with water from the dog's drinking dish and was proceeding to squirt his swimming shorts with it.

"Bang, bang!"

He took a deep breath, willing himself to be patient. "Bella, baby, not time to play. Bubba and Nini will be here in a little while. Ducky too."

"Ducky!" She buried her head in her toy box again, bringing out her yellow rubber duck Ducky had given her. "Ducky!"

With those words, she was off again, this time to the kitchen, to where Shelby was putting the finishing touches on a fruit salad and veggie plate. "Mama, Mama, Mama!" Bella began trying to climb up Shelby's side until the blonde picked her up.

"Bella, come back and get dressed…" Tony started again, stopping when he saw the little girl and Shelby, in serious discussion.

"No!" The little girl protested, looking at Shelby innocently.

Shelby paused. "Let her stay like she is, honey. It's easier." She feed the little girl a slice of strawberry and Bella grinned.

Shelby watched Bella chase Blue, running right into Abby Scuito as she came up the sidewalk with Timothy McGee and Donald Mallard. "Bee!"

Abby laughed, picking the little girl up, swinging her around. "Bella!"

The little girl began talking a mile a minute, most of which Abby didn't even begin to understand. It was amazing to see how the little girl looked so much like a tiny version of Kate, although she acted like a combination of Tony and Shelby. "Swim, Bee! Swim. Like fishie."

"Later. Promise." Abby smiled. "Why don't we go help Mama?" The little girl nodded seriously, allowing Abby to carry her over to where Shelby was, the men approaching Tony.

"Thanks for coming," Tony said, taking the ice cream and potato salad, quickly getting into a conversation with McGee about something Ziva'd done at work that week.

No sooner had they mentioned her name than Ziva parked, getting out of her car, dressed in shorts and a top, an outfit that would have gotten a rise out of Tony not a year before, but instead just got a teasing, flirtatious comment, more as friends than of anyone really interested.

Shelby came out of the house, dressed in a cotton sundress, her blonde hair up in a twist, Bella attached to her again, Abby helping her carry platters out. "Tony, can you check the meat for me?"

McGee teased his friend about being whipped, but Tony just slapped the back of McGee's head before going to do what Shelby had asked.

Bella was seated on Tony's lap, sitting next to Shelby on the swing, the circle of friends gathered around talking, when the little girl's eyes focused on something else, becoming the color of glistening melted chocolate. "Nini? Bubba?" She grinned, running to her godparents, Gibbs catching her quickly before she made it to the street.

"Bubba." She hugged his neck tightly and he closed his eyes briefly, trying to keep the tears at bay, needing that hug more than he could have ever imagined, especially that week.

He opened his eyes again, his arm around Jenny's waist, carrying Bella with them, Jen carrying the chips and homemade salsa they'd made together. Shelby smiled, relieved that everything had worked out well, but, to the others, they were the focus of attention and stares.

Tony started to say something and realized that Shelby was right. It was none of his business. Instead he just smiled and said, "Jenny, you look great."

The redhead smiled, dressed in capris and a shirt, more casual than she was at work, but not quite as much as if it had been just the 'family'. "Thank you, Tony."

Shelby watched Jenny, noticing that she was glowing, obviously happy, and obviously in love, never quite leaving Gibbs' side. "I'm glad everything worked out," she whispered softly to her friend, handing her a frozen margarita.

"I'm glad it did too…for both of us." She paused. "Jethro mentioned you and Tony were fighting."

"We're good." She smiled. "Well, maybe better than good." She watched her brother, talking with Ducky, letting Bella sit on his shoulders. "She's exactly what he needed." Shelby paused. "Did he tell you…"

Jenny nodded. "Why didn't you ever tell me? About this week, about them…"

"Jethro promised me he would. Besides…it wasn't my story to tell." Jenny nodded, understanding.

Sabrina sat in her car for awhile, just watching, almost afraid to get out. She wasn't sure about meeting Gibbs' friends, although she knew all about them. Although she had appreciated Shelby's invitation, it was Gibbs' insistence that had made her finally decide to come. When she got out of the car, she could feel all eyes on her, even one of the girls' mouths hanging open. She felt subconscious, almost like that old dream where she was walking into school naked, until Shelby met her halfway, hugging her, walking over with her to the others.

McGee and Ziva didn't recognize her as the famous redhead, but Ducky and Abby did. Tony kept looking at Jen, making her feel self conscious as well, until Shelby shot him a look, speaking as she did so. "Guys, this is Sabrina Collins. Sabrina, this is Timothy McGee, Abby Scuito, Ziva David, Donald Mallard, Tony and Bella DiNozzo, Jenny Shepherd, and of course, you know him."

Gibbs tried to shoot her a reassuring smile, truly grateful she'd agreed to come, still holding Jenny's hand in her own. Ducky was the first to step up, shake hands, and begin talking, as usual, a mile a minute.

"Why did you invite her?" Tony whispered, almost too loudly.

"She's Jethro's sister-in-law," Tony looked at her, not understanding at first. "Shannon's sister." He stopped, feeling almost ashamed, embarrassed, remembering his manners and going over to meet his guest.

When things settled down, Bella finally got her way, Abby, along with McGee and Ziva, swimming with her in the pool. Sabrina and Jenny were inside, helping Shelby clean up, when Sabrina finally spoke. "Shelby told me about the misunderstanding." She paused. "I'm sorry for the confusion."

Jenny paused. "I've seen you before. Not just this week."

Sabrina nodded. "He told me that you found out about Shannon when he was hurt." Jenny nodded, not sure where this was going. "She was my baby sister. Kelly, my niece." Sabrina paused. "I feel…I feel responsible for him, to make sure he's taken care of, he's happy." She paused again, putting the cover on a bowl, putting it in the refrigerator, unable to look at Jenny for a second, but then turning back around. "With you…he's happy."

Jenny stood there, not knowing how to respond to that. "Thank you," she said blankly.

Sabrina smiled. "You're welcome." The conversation ended as Shelby came back into the room, making more margaritas, Sabrina going outside to where Jethro was sitting.

"I should go."

Jethro paused. "I'm glad you came, Sabrina. I'm glad you were here this week."

"You've got good friends, Jethro, and a great woman. She…she reminds me a lot of Shannon."

He nodded, taking a breath. "A little bit." He paused. "I'll see you soon?" She nodded and he kissed her cheek, watching her leave.

Tony was standing near the edge of the pool, talking to Bella, when Shelby came out. She had just put the margaritas down on the table when Gibbs slapped the back of Tony's head, payback for upsetting Jen. Tony, feeling himself falling, grabbed out for Shelby, pulling her in with him. She laughed, having no choice but to splash him, keeping it up until they were in the middle of a splash war, both laughing too hard to continue.

Shelby got out ten minutes later, under the guise of getting some towels, Tony going for the waterproof camera, Abby keeping an eye on Bella for them. Tony knew he'd pay later, but pushed his boss off the edge into the deep end, taking pictures as Gibbs came back up. It was then that Jenny came out of the house, looking at Gibbs as if she were trying to figure out how he'd gotten in the water, not noticing Shelby behind her until she was in the water as well, Gibbs' strong arms around her as they kissed. It was Shelby's turn to take pictures as they stopped caring about being wet, about the people around them, even about the bad week they'd both had, finally forcing themselves to separate with a smile and an unspoken promise that they would finish what they'd started.


End file.
